A Wrench in the Works
by Mimmamins
Summary: Shulk scares a strange girl lying by the side of the road in Mak-wait a second, this isn't Makna, and that's not Melia. That girl's not even in this game, she's not supposed to be here! And why does she keep talking like she knows more than she's letting on? (Massive Xenoblade spoilers, don't read if you haven't finished the game.)


**Oh boy golly gosh, this is my first attempt at fanfiction in _forever_. And it's a self-insert story to boot. This sure screams quality right off the bat, haha. Regardless, I'm having a lot of fun writing it, and I hope people have as much fun reading it.**

* * *

They had just come from Makna Forest to Eryth Sea, the group of Homs, Nopon, and a bird lady. They were on Hovering Reef 1, and there, laying beside the path, was a girl. She was unconscious, but seemed to be breathing. "Man, was this one fightin' a Telethia too?" Reyn asked as the group approached her.

"Give me some space, everyone." Sharla waved them back and knelt down to examine the girl.

"Is she hurt?" Shulk put a hand on his chin, assuming his thinking pose.

"She doesn't appear to be, but…" Sharla pursed her lips. "Something is off about her, and I can't tell what it is. She seems Homs, but something's a little strange."

"What would she be doing here, though?" Dunban contemplated.

"Maybe she's just napping?" Reyn suggested.

Melia shook her head. "Unlikely. There are many fierce monsters in this area, and all civilians are advised to be well equipped before coming here. It would be most unwise to simply fall asleep here."

"Perhaps she came from Makna, then?" Dunban looked back over to Latael Shore.

Riki piped up. "No, Riki no remember girl in village!"

Sharla stood up and took a couple steps back. "Well, we can't just leave her here. Should we carry her with us?"

"Wait, I think she's coming to." Shulk knelt down beside the girl as she stirred. She made a small noise, and began to open her eyes. "Hello."

The girl blinked in confusion for a second, and then shrieked, flying backwards and slamming her back against the reef wall.

Reyn cracked up. "Man, Shulk, you really scare these girls!"

Reyn's laughing drew her attention to him, and she shrieked again, this time backing as far as she could into the nearest corner. She hid her face behind her knees and gripped the sides of her head, muttering something none of them could understand.

Riki clucked his tongue. "Big Orluga Reyn scared girl! This why Reyn should not open mouth!"

Reyn was indignant. "Hey furball, I didn't-"

"Reyn, quiet." Dunban spoke up, and Reyn fell silent immediately. Dunban gestured for everyone to back up a bit, then bent down a few feet in front of the girl. "Hello?" The girl peeked above her knees, and stopped muttering. "Are you hurt?" She gave him an almost imperceptible shake of her head, and then hid behind her knees again. She seemed to be hyperventilating a bit. "We won't hurt you, you know." He said in a calming voice.

The girl peeked above her knees and gave a brief nod, before hiding again. She raised a finger to them so they would give her a minute, and then went back to gripping the sides of her head and muttering. Dunban stood up and backed away to rejoin the rest of the group, who were exchanging puzzled looks with each other.

Her breathing and shaking gradually slowed, and she stopped muttering to herself. Finally she took a deep breath, and brought her head away from her knees. She lay her legs flat on the ground and let out a labored sigh. She looked up at them, much calmer, but still looking a little panicked. "...Hi."

No one quite knew what to make of her, or how to respond. Shulk was the first to speak. "Um, hello."

She stood up and brushed dirt off of herself. "Hey, um, I'm not really from around here, and I also don't know how I got here. You guys seem to be carrying some pretty big weapons, though, which makes me think that you're capable. Would you mind if I tag along with you?"

"I, uh…" Shulk was bewildered by her sudden change. "Sure. We're going to Alcamoth."

Now that she was standing up it was easier to tell how tall she was, which was in the middle of Shulk and Melia. She had brown eyes and brown hair, the latter of which didn't seem to have been brushed anytime recently, and reached the middle of her back. She was wearing glasses with lenses that were scratched and dirty, and she kept pushing the frames back up her nose.

"Alcamoth, huh?" The girl looked up at the sky and scanned it, stopping when she saw the city. "Did you just come from Makna?"

"Yes, did you come from there too?" He asked.

"No, I was just curious." She shook her head.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Sharla tilted her head.

"Yeah. Just really confused. I mean, I feel like I just slept on the hard-ass ground for a few hours, but you get what I mean." She blushed. "Er, sorry for the language. The sooner we get into the city the better, probably."

And so they went, greatly confused, and with a mysterious stranger (who didn't talk like a trustworthy person) tagging along behind them. "Her accent's kind of...weird, ain't it?" Reyn whispered out of earshot of the girl, which earned him a quick jab and a " _Reyn_!" from Sharla.

Not only was her accent weird, but her clothes were strange too. They didn't look like any clothes any of them had seen before, and something about them seemed less roughly made than Homs clothes. Less layered cloth, and much simpler in design. Where _was_ she from, exactly?

"What littlepon's name?" Riki asked as he bounced along beside the girl.

"Oh, um...you can call me Mins." She looked a bit flustered at the question for some reason. "What's your name?"

"I am legendary Heropon Riki!" Riki fluttered a bit with his wings.

Mins giggled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, brave Heropon."

Everybody was still more or less baffled by her. She was still acting very strange and jittery, and the way she had acted when she had been questioned about her name...they weren't sure whether she was to be trusted or not. "You said you aren't from around Eryth?" Sharla brought up.

"Nope, I'm from very far away." Mins asserted. "I'm familiar with the area, though."

"Where are you from, then?" Sharla inquired further. "Are you from any of the colonies?"

"No, I'm from nowhere you've ever heard of." Mins said offhandedly. "It really doesn't matter."

It was tough getting a straight answer out of her, and their trust was not rising.

The enemies in the area didn't bother them. There were a few Hodes, Caterpiles, and Hilns, but they were able to evade them well. The group passed through the teleporter that led them to the hub-like area outside of Alcamoth. An envoy came for Melia, and left, leaving the group except for Mins puzzled. After a minute, no sooner had Mins muttered "Brace yourselves." than another group of High Entia guards arrived to arrest them all.

* * *

They had been detained for some time, and Mins waited anxiously for Alvis to arrive. It had been a while, and she knew it would have to be soon, but irrational thoughts and worries had begun to worm their way into her mind, and she grew more nervous by the second.

"Sorry we got you locked up in here with us." Shulk said to her.

"Nah, it's fine, I like you guys." Mins waved a hand and leaned back against the glass like it was all nothing. "Plus, if it weren't for you, I'd probably have been killed by some Hode or Caterpile or something embarrassing like that by now. At any rate, this sure is a fancy prison, so at least it isn't _that_ bad."

Reyn was clearly less accepting of the situation. "A fancy prison is still a prison." She had been expecting that line. "Aargh, idiot birdbrains, what'd we do?" He complained.

"What happened to Melia? I don't see her locked up in here with us." Sharla said, exactly how Mins had remembered.

"Shulk, any thoughts on the matter?" Dunban turned to Shulk.

"Melia won't let us down. She promised to take us to Prison Island, and she's not the type of person to break a promise." Shulk was adamant.

"That's my boy." Mins muttered under her breath, fairly certain no one had heard her.

"Alright Shulk, you win, I believe you." Reyn conceded.

Everything had played out almost exactly as Mins remembered it, minus her being there. She was still ever on the verge of another nervous breakdown in her mind, but she did her best to stay calm and wait until she got a chance to speak with Alvis. He would be her best bet at understanding what the hell was going on. Judging by Shulk walking around the room and consulting with his teammates, she didn't have very long left to wait.

Finally, Shulk came up to her to ask her opinion on the matter, which she actually wasn't expecting. "The High Entia are clearly intelligent, I'm sure they have good reason." She said. "And Melia won't let us down, she's not like that." She tried to reassure him as much as she could without giving away future events.

"Do you know Melia, then?" Shulk seemed a bit confused, and Mins realized with a start she had said something she shouldn't have.

"Well, I…" She froze up like a deer in headlights, but High Entia guards entered at that exact moment.

"Stand back. You are to be interrogated by the divine seer." One of the guards said, the metal mask making his voice slightly grating to Mins' ears.

 _Oh thank Meyneth_. Mins sighed in relief, and watched Alvis enter the room.

Alvis and the group began to discuss things at length, but Mins barely paid attention. She was waiting for the right opportunity to speak to him...and also suppressing the urge to fangirl all over him pathetically. She stared intently at him, bouncing a little bit on the balls of her feet impatiently. An idle thought crossed her mind; _wait a second, can't he read thoughts?_

Of course, embarrassing thoughts immediately bubbled to the forefront of her mind. She was saved by Alvis turning to leave, and explaining to them how they were free to explore the capital as they wished. Shulk ran up to him. "Wait, Alvis-"

Alvis shook his head. "Patience, Shulk. I know what it is you wish to ask. All will be answered in time." He started to walk forward once more.

"Wait!" Mins stumbled over herself while running to him. "I have something really _really_ important I need to talk to you about. Immediately, preferably. Does 'administrative computer of a phase transition experiment facility' sound familiar at all to you?"

He didn't seem surprised; he probably _had_ been reading her mind. Welp. "You may come with me, we can talk after I report to His Majesty."

Mins nodded with relief and trailed out of the room behind him. There were small murmurs behind them as they left, the others must have been confused. She could live with that. She followed Alvis through the teleporter and into the palace, looking around in awe as they passed through it.

The first time she had walked through there she was being herded uncomfortably by guards to their fancy jail cell, and she had also been deep in thought, panicking as she wondered how to fix her situation. She could now look around freely, however, and appreciate just how _massive_ everything was. Really, everything she had seen so far had managed to be even more breathtaking than how it had appeared on a TV screen. She supposed that wasn't so surprising, considering the game was on the Wii, but still.

She looked up at the guards as they walked through the palace. They seemed surprisingly uninterested in her odd behavior, simply accepting the exchange between her and Alvis and following behind in silence. Of course, she couldn't see their faces at all, so she really couldn't tell. She had a sneaking suspicion that the imperial guards were huge gossips and would talk about it as soon as they got out of earshot of the higher-ups. Idly she wondered if she would get to listen to that conversation, as they passed through the teleporter into the throne room.

She expected Alvis to tell her to wait outside on the terrace or something, but instead he turned to her. "You know more than most, correct?"

She squinted at him. "Ah...you're being a little bit vague there, bud. Of course, that is your specialty."

He shook his head. "My apologies. Regarding the future, I mean."

So he had _definitely_ been reading her mind. "Oh, yeah, I know a lot about that."

"Then I would like you to come with me," he beckoned her, "and testify for Shulk."

She gaped at him like an idiot. "Um, you'd be fine without me, I know that much. And I've never spoken to anyone with higher standing than a teacher, let alone royalty. Besides Melia, and she doesn't really count, because I don't think I said anything directly to her. Are you sure you want me to come?" She fidgeted nervously.

"Yes, please. Your opinion will be of great value in the future."

"Well…" She fidgeted some more, still uncomfortable with the idea, but he _did_ seem to know what he was talking about. "Alright, I guess. But I can be really unintentionally rude, so you help me out if it starts looking like I'll say something that'll get me beheaded or something." She stared him down, trying to convey her deadly seriousness, and knowing that if he was literally anyone else he would have laughed.

"You will be fine." He assured her. "Simply speak when I tell you to, and all will go well."

And so she followed him warily into the throne room, glancing around in fear. The two soldiers accompanying them split off and stationed themselves on opposite sides of the room, lining the walls like the other soldiers. Sorean, Kallian, and Yumea watched her curiously as they approached, and Mins raised her hand in a half-hearted and nervous wave in response.

Alvis got down on one knee and bowed his head, proceeding to give his report about his experience with Shulk and the other party members. Mins, unsure if she should bow too, stood awkwardly to one side and fiddled with her clothes, all too aware of how completely out of place she looked. Already knowing everything that had happened, she was unable to focus on Alvis recanting his tale, and instead focused on not having a panic attack.

She probably wasn't making herself look any better, eyes darting around the room and moving shiftily in her place as she was, but she couldn't help it. Time seemed to be moving far too slowly, when all she wanted was to be out of the room and away from all the prying eyes in it. She probably would have been bored as all hell if she wasn't concentrating on trying to make herself as small as possible. Eventually she recognized a line when she heard Kallian say, "I still can't believe it...how could a Telethia have grown to such power?" and figured her time to speak had to be soon.

"And what is your conclusion on the matter, seer?" Sorean asked.

"That the Telethia were able to grow to such power due to the high levels of ether in the region." Alvis said, and Mins knew she was a dork for being proud that she knew he was right. "In other words, our ether protection is weakening."

"And so it begins, the resurrection of Bionis." Sorean shook his head gravely, but otherwise stated it rather nonchalantly for such a mind-blowing subject matter, which amused Mins. "And what of the Monado?"

"I cannot see. My 'sight' is hindered." Alvis said. He then started deviating from what Mins remembered. "However, this Homs here possesses an ability similar to my own. She is able to help." He gestured to her, and she almost sighed in relief.

So this was all he wanted from her? Whew, this was easier than she expected. "You may speak." Sorean nodded in her direction, and she was glad she hadn't accidentally spoken without permission yet, as she had been about to.

"Well, I, er, I can't see the future, don't get me wrong." She tried her hardest to speak clearly and not mumble. "I do know of events that will most likely happen in the future, though. It's...difficult to explain, although I can prove it, if you want me to." She had said the last part without thinking, having suddenly had an idea of how she could prove herself.

"I know for sure that the young man who is the heir to the Monado, Shulk, is a good person. He wants what's best for the people of Bionis. He and Melia will play a big part in shaping a better future for everyone in the world, as will the rest of the group of Homs. ...Well, and the Heropon from Frontier Village." She finished off with a bit of an accidental giggle. That had been a lot more eloquent than she usually spoke, the royalty must've been rubbing off on her.

"That is quite a claim you're making. What is the proof you have to substantiate it?" Kallian asked her.

Okay, moment of truth. "I left the room where we were being detained with Alvis. Shortly after we left, a soldier went there looking for him. An S.O.S. from a worker in Eryth Sea had been received. His partner had left to gather ether crystals, and hadn't come back. Shulk and his friends went out to find the worker themselves. They found him being attacked by a group of Kromar. They killed the Kromar and saved the worker. Either they will be back shortly, or they already arrived not very long ago. You can ask them and the workers for confirmation." She took a deep breath, that had been a long time without a pause for air.

A pause followed her exposition, while the room took it in. "Very well." Sorean said, and turned to a soldier. "Go verify that these events did happen."

"Um, I think that was all I was needed for." Mins looked at Alvis, who nodded ever so slightly. "Can I go now?" The eyes on her felt even more uncomfortably prying after her question.

"You are dismissed." Sorean nodded at her mercifully.

"Thank you!" She smiled nervously at him, and sort of skipped backwards out of the room awkwardly.

She waited on the Sky Terrace, positioning herself up against the wall so she wouldn't fall, and so no one passing through would see her. After a minute of waiting she heard someone coming through the teleporter, and when she peered around the wall she saw Melia walking toward the throne room. So things were progressing largely the same after all. She was pretty sure they would be discussing Melia taking the Trial of the Tomb right about now, anyway.

While she waited, she admired the view over Eryth Sea. It was really bright, so she assumed it was somewhere around the afternoon, and she had to squint looking at it all. Hot damn, though, it was beautiful. She had never seen a landscape nearly this nice before. In real life, at least. The hot sun beat down on her, and while normally she hated the heat, it felt nice at the moment. The wind blew a lot up so high, anyway, so overall she was _really feeling_...comfortable.

She giggled. That meme was stupid and she hated it, but she got over herself and accepted the stupid laugh.

Back to more pressing events, she hadn't really thought of helping persuade the High Entia that Shulk was trustworthy. She also wasn't sure why Alvis had requested her help in the first place. To help them get to Prison Island, maybe? That wouldn't be necessary at all when the time arrived to go though, surely he knew that. But...maybe he didn't. He didn't seem to know everything that would happen in Xenoblade, but then again, he was doing a lot of acting during the course of the game.

Maybe she wasn't thinking big enough, what if it was something that happened even later in the game? But she didn't want to be here later in the game, she didn't even want to be here now. Could he not help her? No, she couldn't afford to think like that. She had to stay hopeful. Surely there was something he could do. Maybe it just required a bit more time than she knew.

A little while later, she heard a lot of people coming out of the throne room. When things had quieted down a bit, Alvis walked out onto the Sky Terrace to greet her. "Thank you for your assistance."

"No problem." Mins stood up. "But why did you want me in there in the first place? You didn't need me, I'm sure you know."

"I did not need you, no, but it will be useful later if you are already established knowledgeable of the future." He explained.

Something about his words struck a chord with her. "So, um...can we talk now? About how I _really_ shouldn't be here?"

He nodded. "Yes, I am curious about the matter myself. Where do you come from?"

She thought about how best to answer him. "The universe from before Klaus blew it up...sort of. I can only imagine it's a different universe entirely, but it's largely similar. It's just in the past a bit, I think. And Shulk's journey, from a bit before the Mechon attacked Colony 9 to, well, the end of things, with a good amount of information along the way explaining this world, of course, is a game. A videogame. I don't really know how much you know about the universe before Klaus blew it up, so…"

"I am aware of what a videogame is." He confirmed. "Interesting…" He murmured, and seemed to contemplate things for a moment.

"So, uh…" Mins shifted around awkwardly. "Do you think you can help me get back home?"

"I do not know." He sounded kind of surprised. She could understand, as he was normally all-knowing. "My power could be limited to this universe alone, I may not be able to help you."

"I need to get back, though!" Mins panicked for a moment. "I can't stay here forever, this isn't my world!"

"I never said I absolutely wouldn't be able to help you." He reassured her. "I might just need a while to come up with a solution."

"But how long is 'a while'?" Mins asked warily, still shaken from a moment ago.

"An undefined amount of time."

"Lovely, very helpful." She retorted sarcastically, then sighed. "Thank you, though. I just have no idea what to do, or what's even going on…" Suddenly the situation slapped her in the face, and she sunk to the ground shaking, tears beginning to roll down her face.

Alvis wasn't a very comforting presence, but she couldn't blame him. He was a computer, a lot of emotions were probably a bit out of his reach. He did kneel down on the ground and place a hand on her shoulder as she buried her face in her knees, though, which was better than nothing. He was trying. She was just glad that she wasn't full-blown sobbing, and was instead silently crying, with no hiccups or snot running down her face. Much more attractive, and less embarrassing, this way. Sort of.

She wasn't sure exactly how long she cried, but she had certainly taken her damn time, letting herself get all of it out. She wasn't sure the next moment she was going to get to (mostly) herself, so she needed to channel it all into one moment. She felt a bit like stupid irrational teenage hormones were making her even more emotional than she would be on her own, which was really annoying.

Finally, after she had gotten it all out, she peered above her knees, which she seemed to be doing a lot of today. "Sorry." She sniffled, and he helped her up. "Thanks," she cleared her throat, "for helping me out with everything. Seriously, I'd probably die horribly if left by myself for too long."

"You are welcome." He nodded at her. "Shulk and his friends seem to be back, if you are interested. You may go meet them if you wish." His change of subject was really welcome. While she understood why her tears were warranted in this situation, it didn't stop the embarrassment.

"Yeah, I guess I don't have anywhere else to be." Her voice was still a bit watery, and she started turning to leave. "And I'm sure you have your own important business to get back to, like being cryptic to Shulk in a dream or somethi…" She trailed off, and the blood drained from her face as she realized something. "Um...when did you say they got back?" She turned back towards him.

"A while ago, but I am not completely sure how long it has been. Why?" He seemed puzzled, apparently he still hadn't foreseen anything.

"Shit!" Mins swore loudly, panic driving out any remaining sadness. "They're gonna' be attacked, or they're being attacked! We have to go!"

* * *

 **I'm a pretty slow writer, so I wouldn't be expecting updates that are too frequent if I were you. Still, if you even got this far, thanks for reading! I hope breaks between chapters won't be _too_ long.**


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